Endless conveyer



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ENDLESS CONVBYER Filed Apr-1.1.1.4l 1925 3 Sheets-Shed.

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C. J. MARSHALL ENDLESS CONVEYER ot..e,1925. 1,555,867 C. J. MARSHALL ENDLEss coNvEYBn Filed April- 14l 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 NIH Patented Oct. 6, 1925,

UNITED STATES CHARLES J. MARSHALL, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO P. B. YATES MACHINE COMPANY, OF lBELOIT, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

,PATENT OFFICE.

ENDLESS CONVEYER.

Application filed April 14, 1923.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. MARSHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at lleloit, in the county of Bock and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Endless Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to endless-chain and similar convcyers for feeding` stock to a machine, and concerns more particularly a mechanism of this general kind especially, but not restrictedly, adapted to advancing boards in spaced relation to an end-matching machine which provides their ends with tongues or grooves as the case may be.

In an appliance of this kind it is of great import-ance that correct alignment or proper register of the boards with the saws or other tools which act on them should be maintained at all times, and, consequent-ly, in this iinprovcd and novel structure means are provided to meet this condition and to prevent mal-alignment or incorrect positioning of the boards neven though the parts of the mechanism may become somewhat worn with use. To enable those acquainted with this art to obtain a full understanding of this invention both from its structural and functional standpoints, I have illustrated a desirable and preferred embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and for simplicity like reference characters for the same parts have been used throughout the several views.

in these drawings.

Figure l is a fragment-ary side elevation of a portion of an endmatcher equipped with one of the new styles of conveyer chain feeders, a portion of the structure being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction Y Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section on line 2-2 of Figure l, the parts being viewed in a direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is a similar cross-Section on line 3 3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is also a vertical transverse section on line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is afragmentary plan-view of a portion ofthe conveyer chain;

Figure 6 is a side elevation` of that part 0f the chain shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a. perspective View of the roller Serial No. 631,973.

or drum for Supporting one end of the conveyer chain; and

Figure S is a similar View of the sprocket wheel for supporting the other end of the conveyer chain and by means of which the `ject-ions 29, 3l, 32 and 33 of the next adjacent link 23, these mating ears or lugs being apertured in register and hinged together by suitable hinge-pins 34.

0n its top face, each of such links 22 has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 35, 36, and 37 dioining together opposite portions of a marginal rib 20 of the link, and each link 23 has a central longitudinal stifliening and strengthening rib 38 connecting together parts of the more substantial rib 40 extended around the top face of such link.

Each link 23 on its top face has a transverse groove 39 accommodating a feederbar or pusher 41 heldin place by two screws 42, 42 extended through the bar and taking in threaded holes in the link as will be readily understood, each of such bars having ends or terminal portions 43, 43 eXtendedrsidewise beyond both edges of the chain.

A drive-shaft 44, rotated by any approved power means, is mounted on thetable of the machine in an appropriate manner and on this is secured a` sprocket-wheel, characterized as a whole 45, having two hexagonal end yportions or heads 46 and 47 with ranintei-mediate cylindrical section 48, such double or duplex sprocket-wheelbeing preferably formed of a single piece ofmetal.

Flach of the flat faces of the angular heads or terminal parts 46 and 47 ris slightly recessed at 49 and a sprocket-tooth groove 51 extends the full length of the double sprocket-wheel at the center of each angular face thereof.

The member is provided with a keyway CII 52 receiving the key 58 of the shaft 44 thereby assuring the rotation of the sprocketwheel with the shaft, and, in order to prevent longitudinal movement or displacement of the element 45 on the shaft, the middle section 48 thereof is supplied with two screw-threaded holes 54. accommodating set-screws 55, 55 the inner ends of which bear on the key of the shaft.

'At the other end of the table I provide a shaft 56, adjustable in any approved manner toward and from the companion shaft 44 by screws 57, and rotatable on such shaft is a drum or spool-shaped member 58 having an intermediate reduced-diameter section 59 of a lengt-h sligl'itly greater than the length of the teeth 24 and having enlarged, cylindrical ends 61 and 62 adapted to coact with the faces of the chain links outwardly beyond the ends of their teeth 24.

The end-matcher for the lumber with which such a feeder or conveyer is desirably associated comprises a pair of horizontal gauge or' hold-down bars 64 against the bottom faces of which the boards 63 fed forwardly by the blocks 4l of the conveyer are held pressed by a pair of flexible bands or straps 65 below the gauge bars 64 fastened at their ends and forced upwardly by a series or group of spring-pressed plungers 66.

In an appliance of this type exact and correct alignment of the parts is essential if the boards are to be fed properly and accurate work performed.

This requirement is met in this improved conveyer or endless feeder because the dupleX sprocket-wheel 45 is composed of a single metal body and the teeth receiving grooves or recesses are cut therein throughout its entire length, hence there is no possibility of mal-alignment of the two end sections of such member.

Furthermore, owing to the flat, angularlydisposed faces of such sprocket-wheel on which the links of the chain bear, a substantial amount of the strain is removed from the teeth of the chain hence reducing wear thereon.

Also, these teeth and the grooves of the sprocket-wheel which accommodate them may be considered in large measure as aligning means for maintaining the conveyer' chain true under all conditions.

It is to be observed, in addition, that the links of the chain are not weakened by providing therein any grooves or recesses to receive teeth on a sprocket-wheel, and also that the teeth-receiving grooves of the sprocket-wheel are milled or cut in a body of substantial strength, hence avoiding danger of breakage of either one of these parts.

While I have shown and described only one particular embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in this art that it is susceptible of a variety of embodiments and that many minor mechanical changes may be made Vin the structure illustrated and described in detail wit-hout departure from the substance and essence of the invention and without the sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages.

I claim:

l. In a stock-feeding appliance of the character described, the combination of an endless-conveyer sprocket-chain composed of links hinged together having inwardlyprojecting transverse teeth of less length than the width of the links, a sprocketwheel adapted to support one end of said chain and having transverse grooves in its periphery to receive said chain teeth, means to rotate said sprocket-wheel, and revoluble means to support the other end of said conveyer chain and bearing on its links only beyond the ends of said teeth.

2. In a stock-feeding appliance of the character described, the combination of an endless-conveyer sprocket-chain composed of links hinged together and having inwardly-projecting tr'ansverse teeth of a less length th an the width of the links, a sprocket-wheel adapted to support one end of said chain and having flat peripheral faces at an angle to one another and with trans` verse grooves in said faces to receive said cham teeth, means to rotate said sprocketvwheel, and revoluble means to support the other end of said conveyer chain by bearing on its links outwardly beyond said chain teeth.

3. In a stock-feeding appliance of the character described, the combination of an endless-conveyer sprocket-chain composed of links hinged together having inwardlyprojecting transverse teeth of less length than the width of the links, stock-engaging means on said chain, a unitary sprocketwheel coacting with said chain having two enlarged end sections' each with faces disposed at an angle to one another and with aligned grooves in said faces to receive said chain teeth, means to revolve said sprocketwheel, and a revoluble drum cooperating with said chain having enlarged cylindrical end portions adapted to coact with the faces of said chain links outwardly beyond said teeth and having an intermediate section of a length and reduced diameter size to permit passage of the chain teeth around the drum without interference.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES J. MARSHALL. 

